Friday, January 9, 2009

Gaza: Israel accused of shelling house full of children

Citing "several testimonies" - but without identifying them - OCHA said that Israeli foot soldiers evacuated around 110 Palestinians into a house in Zeitun, south of Gaza City, on Sunday. Half of them were children. "Twenty-four hours later, Israeli forces shelled the home repeatedly, killing approximately 30," OCHA said.

The United Nations has accused Israeli troops of evacuating scores of Palestinians – including children – into a house in Gaza and then shelling the property 24 hours later, killing some 30 people.In a report published today on what it called "one of the gravest incidents" of the 14-day conflict, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) complained that the Israeli Defence Force then prevented medical teams from entering the area to evacuate the wounded.Citing "several testimonies" - but without identifying them - OCHA said that Israeli foot soldiers evacuated around 110 Palestinians into a house in Zeitun, south of Gaza City, on Sunday. Half of them were children."Twenty-four hours later, Israeli forces shelled the home repeatedly, killing approximately 30," OCHA said. "Those who survived and were able walked two kilometres to Salah Ed Din road before being transported to the hospital in civilian vehicles. Three children, the youngest of whom was five months old, died upon arrival at the hospital."read moredigg story